


sweet mother, i cannot weave

by onceuponanevilangel



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Scene, F/F, Missing Scene, Pre-Relationship, that awkward moment when your mother might have approved your girlfriend before you even kissed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 03:24:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11546499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onceuponanevilangel/pseuds/onceuponanevilangel
Summary: Athena has overcome me with longing for a girl.A conversation between the daughters of two war goddesses who might be more drawn to each other than either of them could have expected. -Alternate ending/missing scene of sorts from BoO





	sweet mother, i cannot weave

**Author's Note:**

> I started reading the Percy Jackson books at the age of 10. 10-year-old me would never have guessed that almost 9 years later I'd be gayer and more prolific than I ever planned, but here we are. This is where my life has led me. We're leaving it at that.
> 
> My first time writing in this universe and I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, but it's finished and that's enough right now. Maybe I could continue? But also maybe not. Writing is weird sometimes.
> 
> Title comes from a Sappho fragment: "Sweet mother, I cannot weave – slender Aphrodite has overcome me with longing for a girl."

Annabeth was pretty sure that she had never felt more exhausted in her entire life, and she had quite literally been to hell and back before. Every bone in her body felt heavy and by the time she reached the Athena cabin, she was barely succeeding at keeping her eyes open.

She had slipped out of the celebrations rather early, so the cabin was entirely empty. Her bunk looked like it hadn’t been touched since she had left and she fell onto it face-first with a heavy sigh. She kicked off her sneakers and was pretty sure that she was just going to fall asleep right there in her clothes when she heard a soft knock at the door.

It was so quiet that at first she wasn’t sure anyone was there, but she reluctantly pushed herself up, her muscles protesting as the mattress got farther and farther away. She padded over to the door, fully intending to tell whoever was there – read: Percy – to get lost so she could sleep, but it wasn’t Percy standing outside. It was actually one of the last people Annabeth expected to see.

“Reyna?” she asked, still not quite sure that she was seeing right.

“Hi,” Reyna said. Maybe it was just Annabeth’s imagination, but she was pretty sure that Reyna seemed almost nervous. “I was looking for you, but Percy said you already left. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to drag you away from your bed.” She started to turn away, but Annabeth opened the door a little wider and leaned on the frame.

“I’m awake now,” she said. “You’ve probably got at least a few minutes before I crash again. You want to come in until then?”

The ghost of a smile tugged at Reyna’s lips and she accepted the invitation into the cabin.

“This is impressive,” Reyna said as she took everything in. Even though it was dark outside, the interior of the cabin seemed to hold onto the moonlight, casting a soft silvery over everything.

“When you’re rooming with people with the same godly parent, deciding on the room décor is a lot easier,” Annabeth said. Reyna frowned and Annabeth continued, “Percy told me about the cabins at Camp Jupiter. I have to say, I can see the appeal of your system, but I wouldn’t trade the Athena cabin for anything. You want to sit?”

She had migrated back to her bunk, casually kicking her sneakers out of sight before sitting down on the mattress and patting the free spot next to her. Reyna hesitated for a second, but then sat down.

She had traded in her armor for a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and a pair of jeans, but she was still wearing her purple cloak and Annabeth didn’t miss the way that she pulled it around her shoulders as she sat down, but she decided it was probably better not to ask about it. She was about to ask why Reyna had left the party to come find her, but Reyna beat her to it.

“I think I owe you an apology,” she said.

Annabeth frowned. “What for?”

“For…well,” Reyna sighed and pulled her braid over her shoulder, tracing her fingers absently over her hair. “I suppose it’s not really an apology so much as it is an admission. The first time we met in New Rome after you told me you were a daughter of Athena and I told you about Minerva and I…”

Reyna met Annabeth’s eyes and Annabeth could have sworn she felt a chill go down her spine. “Until very recently, I didn’t realize how much of a distinction there could be between the Greek and Roman forms of the gods and I want to apologize for insinuating that your mother is not a warrior or that her children couldn’t be. You are a daughter of Athena, not Minerva, and I don’t think I really thought there could be such a drastic different until now.”

“Where is this coming from?” Annabeth asked, frowning in confusion. “Did the Athena Parthenos say something to you, because that might sound crazy, but I definitely would not put it past my mother. She’s a fan of intimidation when it comes to…”

She cut herself off before she could finish the thought: _…when it comes to people I think I might care about._

She wasn’t sure where it had come from, but sitting here on her bed, staring at Reyna who looked so…soft wasn’t the right word. She was practically glowing. The moonlight coming through the windows illuminated every edge and curve of Reyna’s silhouette and somehow the words just seemed to plant themselves in Annabeth’s mind.

Gods, she did not have the energy to deal with this right now.

“Something like that,” Reyna admitted. She dropped her braid and her fingers migrated to the hem of her cloak. For the first time, Annabeth noticed that it almost seemed to be glittering in the dim light.

“This morning,” Reyna continued, shifting her gaze down to her cloak. “Orion had caught up to me and I…well, I really thought that I wasn’t going to see the Athena Parthenos on the hill, but she protected me. Or she gave me protection. Her shield.”

“Aegis?” Annabeth asked.

Reyna nodded.

Annabeth’s eyebrows rose and she started to reach out her hand, but she caught herself.

“May I?” she asked.

“Of course,” Reyna replied. She shifted a little bit closer so that Annabeth could touch her cloak. The fabric was soft and smooth, but as she touched it, she could feel a sense of strength and courage washing over her in a way that definitely felt like her mother’s powers at work.

“She likes you,” Annabeth said with a note of incredulity in her voice. “She doesn’t exactly like a whole lot of demigods. You must have really impressed her.”

“I think she was there,” Reyna said. “On the hill. Her and my mother both. I could feel them both there and I was…I wasn’t sure what I expected, but I know it was Athena, not Minerva. And she is definitely a war goddess.” There was a hint of something – maybe laughter , but Annabeth wasn’t sure – in her voice. “And I’m sorry for doubting that before.”

“Not your fault,” Annabeth said. “To be fair, I didn’t believe your mother actually existed until a few months ago, so I guess that makes us even.”

Now Reyna did laugh. It was the first time that Annabeth had heard it and she knew right away that she was hooked. It was warm and clear and Annabeth could feel herself starting to smile too.

“I suppose you’re right,” Reyna said once she collected herself. “We’re even.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Annabeth could feel her eyes starting to droop again, but she wasn’t sure that she wanted Reyna to leave just yet.

“She didn’t even like Percy,” Annabeth said, finally breaking the silence.

“Athena?” Reyna asked.

“Mmhm.” Annabeth found a stray thread that had come loose from her quilt and started wrapping it around and around her finger. “I mean, part of that is the whole feud between her and Poseidon from back during the founding of Athens, but she also just never really liked Percy very much. It’s nice to see her like someone for a change.”

Reyna laughed again. “You know, I think Bellona would like you too.”

Annabeth froze and wound the thread so tightly around her finger that she pulled it off the quilt with a quick snap.

Reyna seemed to know that she had said too much. In fact, it looked like she was _blushing?_

Up until that very moment, Annabeth had never imagined a situation in which Reyna would ever blush.

Not that she spent that much time thinking about Reyna blushing.

Gods, this was not how Annabeth thought her night was going to be going.

A cool breeze blew in from the open window, and Annabeth was snapped out of her own thoughts when she saw Reyna shiver and pull her cloak a little tighter around her out of the corner of her eye.

“You cold?” she asked.

“Hmm?” Reyna finally looked back at Annabeth, but her eyes flickered away quickly. “Just a little chilly. I’m not used to the climate up here I guess.”

“I get it,” Annabeth said.

Then – and she wasn’t entirely sure what possessed her to do it – she scooted even closer so that her shoulder was touching Reyna’s, Reyna shied away at first, but after a moment, she leaned onto Annabeth just a little bit more.

What happened next was simultaneously the shortest and longest moment of her life and she had spent a decade of her life fighting monsters.

She wasn’t sure which one of them turned first or who closed the space between them, but suddenly all Annabeth knew was the feeling of Reyna’s lips on hers. She closed her eyes and her hands seemed to move of their own accord, her fingers threading themselves in the hair above Reyna’s braid.

Apparently she had been wrong before; there were some parts of Reyna that were _incredibly_ soft.

The kiss seemed to last forever but then before Annabeth knew it, they were pulling apart.

Reyna was _definitely_ blushing now and if the heat in Annabeth’s cheeks was any indicator, she was too.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t, I…” Reyna stammered as she got to her feet and started to back towards the door.

“It’s okay,” Annabeth started. “I mean, I…we both…I don’t know, I _didn’t_ know…”

“I-I should go.”

“Reyna, wait!” Annabeth called as Reyna raced out the door.

Annabeth stood up and ran out after her, not even bothering to grab her sneakers on her way. Reyna was fast, but the soft golden glow of her cloak gave her away. That, plus Annabeth’s innate knowledge of the entire camp helped her catch up to Reyna near an apple tree at the foot of Half-Blood Hill.

Reyna leaned against the tree to catch her breath and as Annabeth got closer to her, she was pretty sure that Reyna was crying.

“I’m sorry,” Reyna said. “I know that you and Percy –”

“Forget about him,” Annabeth said. “I love him, but I’m not sure that I’m _in_ love with him anymore. Or if I ever really was.” She was almost shocked to hear the words coming out of her own mouth, but they were thoughts that had been swirling around in her brain for weeks now and if there was ever going to be a breaking point then this was it. “I don’t know how I feel about anything right now, but I promise you, you don’t have to be sorry for what happened back there.”

“I can’t do this,” Reyna said, her voice breaking just the slightest bit.

Annabeth softened and took a few steps closer. “What do you mean?”

“Two years ago Jason and I were on a quest in Charleston,” Reyna said. She was looking at the ground instead of at Annabeth and she used the back of her hand to wipe away the tear tracks on her cheeks. “I ran into Venus and she told me…”

She trailed off like the words got stuck in her throat and looked up at Annabeth with watery eyes.

“She told me that no demigod would ever heal my heart,” Reyna said quietly. “I didn’t believe her at first, but I can’t…I just can’t.”

Annabeth stepped closer and raised her hands like she was going to surrender.

“May I?” she asked.

Reyna looked confused, but she nodded and Annabeth slowly reached out and pressed the palm of her hand on Reyna’s chest right over her heart. Reyna flinched at first, but she didn’t pull away. She just looked at Annabeth who gave her a half-smile.

“It’s funny,” she said. “Seems like your heart is beating just fine. And last I checked, you can’t heal something that isn’t broken.”

Reyna let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a sigh.

“Listen,” Annabeth said firmly. “It’s none of my business, but I know how the gods work and they just _love_ giving us silly mortals warnings and promises that can’t really be taken at face value.”

There was a sudden swell of noise from the dining pavilion and both girls looked up just in time to see a spectacular display of fireworks popping and dancing against the stars.

“I should really let you get to bed,” Reyna said.

“Where are you sleeping?” Annabeth asked. “Don’t tell me you’re going all the way back to your base at this hour.”

“No,” Reyna said, the corners of her lips twitching. “Chiron already set up beds in the Big House. We leave in the morning.”

“Will I see you before you go?”

Reyna bit her lip and glanced down.

“I don’t want to push anything,” Annabeth said quickly.

“No, no, no,” Reyna insisted. “Of course you will. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Good,” Annabeth said. “Then I guess, sleep well. And just know that you don’t have to decide anything about this – you and me, I guess – until you’re ready. We’ve got plenty of time.”

She started to turn away, but this time it was Reyna’s turn to stop her.

“Wait,” she said. “May I?”

Annabeth wasn’t quite sure what she meant, but she nodded anyway.

She hadn’t noticed before, but Reyna was a few inches taller than her. Just enough that Reyna had to bend a little bit to plant a chaste kiss on Annabeth’s heated cheek.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Anytime,” Annabeth replied.

With that, she turned and made her way back toward the Athena cabin.

The celebration was still in full swing and the cabin was still empty. She paused for a moment to peel off her now-muddy socks before getting back into bed, but this time, she didn’t immediately start to fall asleep. It took a few minutes and a few more loud fireworks displays before she finally started to drift off, visions of a dark-haired hero kissing her and laughing with her played over and over in her head while two war goddesses looked on from the distance and smiled.


End file.
